Portsmouth grads encouraged to take risks and speak out

Saturday

Jun 9, 2012 at 3:15 AMJun 11, 2012 at 12:18 PM

By JIM HADDADINjhaddadin@fosters.com

PORTSMOUTH — Members of Portsmouth High School's 2012 graduating class were encouraged to make their voices heard Friday at the school's annual commencement ceremony, whether in song, in speech, or by tweet.

"Figure out what you want to say to the world and don't be ashamed of what your voice has to offer," class President Susan Ann Harvey told her peers.

Portsmouth High School's 198th Annual Commencement was held at 5:30 a.m. Friday, on the hardwood floor of the Robert "Woody" Stone Gymnasium.

Some 240 graduating seniors, clad in caps and gowns, received their high school diplomas, surrounded by friends and family in the bleacher seating.

Harvey said the class has matured amid incredible advances in technology. Social networks became popular, Facebook was usurped by Twitter and texting became a primary means of communication.

For Harvey and members of what she called the "Harry Potter generation," the past 12 years have also been marked by historic firsts, such as the Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, inauguration of the country's first African American President.

"All that matters is that you have something to say ..." Harvey said. "Everyone here remembers the same trends and events of our lifetime so far. We all have the same experiences, but I bet everyone here has something different to say about those experiences."

After an opening greeting by Portsmouth Mayor Eric Spear, PHS salutatorian Nicholas M. Pfosi encouraged his classmates to not be afraid to fail. Pfosi said his experience in high school demonstrated the point of taking a class is the experience rather than the grade, and called failure a steppingstone to success.

Picking up where his brother left off, valedictorian Joshua M. Pfosi later told the graduates that in addition to embracing failure, they should also be willing to take risks.

As the class valedictorian, Pfosi said he can't claim be an extreme risk-taker.

"I followed the rules," he said. "I did not say 'I won't pass in that paper,' or 'Let's skip fourth block today.'"

However, Pfosi said risk-taking also means undertaking challenges. For him, it was penning a commencement address. For others, it could be making an uncomfortable introduction, or asking a question in class.

Taking up that charge, senior Nicholas Aikens sang an unannounced vocal solo in the middle of the program. He performed an original composition, accompanied by a piano and the hand claps of his classmates.

Andrews debuted the song earlier in the week at the school's baccalaureate ceremony, and he was subsequently asked to perform at Friday's event.

Portsmouth High School Principal Jeffrey Collins said commencement is a tremendous event, but at its core, the event is a celebration of the individuals graduating and their paths to adulthood. What matters most is that students gained knowledge and wisdom along the way, he said.

"To the graduates, I truly can't express enough how proud I am of all you have accomplished," he said, "both collectively and individually."

Representing the class of 1962, speaker William Wagner told graduates the exciting thing about being young is the discovery that you are your own person — "the captain of yourself." He advised the graduates that individual freedom will bring responsibility. He told them not to make excuses for failures, which will inevitably come.

"Know who you are and what you want," he said.

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